Science news

• Insurers have 'valid reason' to worry over fires in Western Canada, scientist says

  18-07-2017 23:42 via cbc.ca
  
  Fires and floods will become more severe and more frequent in Western Canada — and insurance companies should take notice, a Calgary climate change scientist says.
  
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• LISA Pathfinder: Time called on Europe's gravity probe

  18-07-2017 21:22 via bbc.co.uk
  The European Space Agency turns off one of its most successful ever missions - LISA Pathfinder.
  
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• Common drugs help reverse signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in rats

  18-07-2017 20:47
  
  A thyroid hormone and a blood sugar drug affect levels of a hormone needed for brain development, study in rats shows.
  
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• The sensitive cells in the gut

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Serotonin-producing enterochromaffin cells in the gut epithelium are chemosensors for the enteric nervous system.
  
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• STING is an essential mediator of the Ku70-mediated production of IFN-{lambda}1 in response to exogenous DNA

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  We previously identified Ku70, a subunit of a DNA repair protein complex, as a cytosolic DNA sensor that induces the production of interferon-1 (IFN-1) by human primary cells and cell lines. IFN-1 is a type III IFN and has similar antiviral activity to that of the type I IFNs (IFN-α and IFN-β). We observed that human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells, which are deficient in the innate immune adaptor protein STING (stimulator of IFN genes), did not produce IFN-1 in response to DNA unle
  
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• PI3K{gamma} activity in leukocytes promotes adipose tissue inflammation and early-onset insulin resistance during obesity

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K) plays a major role in leukocyte recruitment during acute inflammation and has been proposed to inhibit classical macrophage activation by driving immunosuppressive gene expression. PI3K plays an important role in diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. In seeking to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms, we showed that PI3K action in high-fat diet–induced inflammation and insulin resistance depended largely on its role in the control of adip
  
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• Phosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein by mutant LRRK2 promotes AICD activity and neurotoxicity in Parkinsons disease

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Mutations in LRRK2, which encodes leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, are the most common genetic cause of familial and sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that causes impaired motor function and, in advanced stages, dementia. Dementia is a common symptom of another neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and research suggests that there may be pathophysiological and genetic links between the two diseases. Aggregates of β amy
  
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• PD-L1 on pain

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  As well as being an immunosuppressive checkpoint, the tumor-associated cell surface molecule PD-L1 suppresses pain signaling in sensory neurons.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 357 (6347)

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight a newly discovered DNA repair system and the role of an inherited repressive epigenetic mark in fly embryonic development.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 547 (7662)

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe mechanisms that control the proliferation of cardiac cells during injury repair, personalized vaccines for treating cancer, and a mechanism by which malaria parasites sense host nutrients.
  
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• Paper of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (398)

  18-07-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s article describes an epigenetic target for treating kidney cancer.
  
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• Telecom exec Ian Scott to be next CRTC chair starting September

  18-07-2017 19:37 via cbc.ca
  
  The federal government has named Ian Scott to be the next head of the CRTC, the regulatory body that governs Canada's broadcast and telecommunications industries.
  
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• Soar over Pluto in stunning hi-def NASA video

  18-07-2017 19:01 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA has released a high-definition video showing what it would be like to fly over Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.
  
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• People domesticated dogs just once, ancient DNA study suggests

  18-07-2017 17:18
  
  DNA of ancient canines counters idea that dogs were domesticated twice, in Europe and Asia.
  
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• Dog domestication happened just once, ancient DNA study suggests

  18-07-2017 17:18
  
  DNA of ancient canines counters idea that dogs were domesticated twice, in Europe and Asia.
  
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• New evidence suggests mighty T-rex couldn't outrun human

  18-07-2017 17:01 via cbc.ca
  
  Line up Usain Bolt at the starting blocks with a Tyrannosaurus rex and the dinosaur would be left behind in the sprinter's dust, according to computer-assisted research that turns long-held assumptions on their head.
  
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• Fearsome T-rex was a plodder not a sprinter, researchers say

  18-07-2017 14:45
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Line up Usain Bolt at the starting blocks with a Tyrannosaurus rex and the dinosaur would be left behind in the sprinter's dust, according to computer-assisted research that turns long-held assumptions on their head.
  
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• Scottish osprey chicks moved to Spain

  18-07-2017 14:04 via bbc.co.uk
  The birds were collected under licence for translocation to a part of Spain where they have not bred for years.
  
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• Mighty T. rex 'walked rather than sprinted'

  18-07-2017 13:00 via bbc.co.uk
  New research suggests the dinosaur could go no faster than a very brisk walking pace.
  
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• California votes to extend cap-and-trade climate law to 2030

  18-07-2017 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Legislators vote to extend a programme that charges firms for releasing pollutants to the year 2030.
  
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• Is Guaranteed Income for All the Answer to Joblessness and Poverty?

  18-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Experts disagree, but a number of experiments could offer insight
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• UTA researcher's book looks at quality-of-life concerns associated with urban sprawl

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) A new book, co-authored by UTA researcher Shima Hamidi, empirically shows how badly sprawl affects health and other quality-of-life outcomes.
  
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• Urbanization and electricity are not to blame for sleep loss

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Surrey) Urbanization and the electrification of homes do not decrease the amount that we sleep, a new study in the journal Scientific Reports finds.
  
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• UC3M heads cooperation project to promote renewable energies in Cuba and Haiti

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) In collaboration with other educational institutions in Cuba and Haiti, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is leading an international cooperation project destined to strengthen higher education in both Latin American countries in the field of renewable energies.
  
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• Titan simulations show importance of close 2-way coupling between human and Earth systems

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) By using supercomputers such as the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility's Titan, a large multidisciplinary team of scientists developed a new integrated climate model designed to reduce uncertainties in future climate predictions as it bridges Earth systems with energy and economic models and large-scale human impact data.
  
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• The UN actually does prevent war, according to study of General Assembly votes

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Dartmouth College) The first quantitative study of UN voting records shows that the world body is more effective at achieving its mandate of avoiding wars than many experts think.
  
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• The need to understand what works in social prescribing

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Plymouth) In a piece published today, July 18, 2017, in BMJ Opinion, a health service research expert from the University of Plymouth warns that, in order for social prescribing to reach its full potential and make a true difference to patients, more needs to be done to understand what works, for whom, and in what circumstances.
  
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• The Global Ant Genomics Alliance announces partnership with Novogene to advance the genomic study of ants around the world

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Novogene Corporation) The Global Ant Genomics Alliance, an international collaboration of researchers from a variety of fields and institutions from across the globe, is partnering with Novogene Co., Ltd., a leading global provider of genomic services and solutions, to make a significant leap forward in understanding the genomics of ants.
  
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• Testosterone prescribing in VA varies by provider's age, experience, specialty and region

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (The Endocrine Society) Providers in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) system vary in their testosterone prescribing practices, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. This is the first study to examine provider and site predictors of testosterone prescribing in the VA.
  
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• Study shows language development starts in the womb

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Kansas) A month before they are born, fetuses carried by American mothers-to-be can distinguish between someone speaking to them in English and Japanese.Using non-invasive sensing technology from the University of Kansas Medical Center for the first time for this purpose, a group of researchers from KU's Department of Linguistics has shown this in-utero language discrimination. Their study published in the journal NeuroReport has implications for fetal research in other fields, th
  
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• Study: Health insurance costs threaten farm viability

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Vermont) A new USDA funded study found that 64 percent of American farmers have preexisting conditions. Lack of access to affordable health insurance is a major worry and a significant risk factor for farmers, the study found.
  
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• Satellite image captures development of Tropical Storm Depression 8E

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) As Hurricane Fernanda moves toward the Central Pacific, and Tropical Storm Greg moves away from the Mexican coast, a new tropical depression formed in between the two tropical cyclones. NOAA's GOES-West satellite saw the development of Tropical Depression 8E in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on July 18.
  
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• Rude customers linked to workers' shopping binges

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Michigan State University) Service workers who face verbal abuse from customers during the workday are more likely to go on unnecessary shopping sprees in the evening, indicates new research co-authored by a Michigan State University business expert.
  
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• RIT wins Department of Energy award to improve wiring for advanced electric equipment

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Rochester Institute of Technology) Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are working with corporate and government partners to develop more efficient, durable and cost-effective carbon nanotube technology in electronic components and systems that now use copper wiring.
  
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• Rising to the top

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Here's a challenge: Build a pump that can deliver a drug to you automatically when you're sick. Now make it smaller than a penny. And make it accurate enough that you can guarantee it won't pump one microliter more than prescribed amount (otherwise it might kill you). Now make it cheap enough to mass-produce for millions of people and make sure it runs on a tiny battery. Think you can do it?
  
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• Reversing fetal alcohol damage after birth

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Northwestern University) Two commonly used drugs erased the learning and memory deficits caused by fetal alcohol exposure when the drugs were given after birth, thus potentially identifying a treatment for the disorder, reports a new study. The scientists also newly identified a key molecular mechanism by which alcohol neurologically and developmentally harms the developing fetus.
  
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• Republicans and Democrats tend to follow news in similar ways

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (NORC at the University of Chicago) Republicans and Democrats are very much alike in the ways they follow the news despite their differing opinions of the media, according to a report released today by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
  
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• Replacing a palatable high-fat diet with low fat food causes withdrawal-like symptoms in mice

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior) Researchers have found that mice fed a palatable high-fat diet experience stress responses that resemble drug withdrawal when their food is switched to a low-fat diet. A study conducted by Dr. Steve Fordahl, currently at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Dr. Sara Jones at Wake Forest School of Medicine, identified brain changes in the dopamine neurotransmitter system caused by stress when the palatable diet was removed.
  
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• Reduction in hospital readmission rate not associated with increased risk of death following discharge

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (The JAMA Network Journals) Although there has been the concern that the reduction in hospital readmission rates may possibly result in an increase in mortality rates after discharge, a new study published by JAMA finds that among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure, heart attack or pneumonia, reductions in hospital 30-day readmission rates were associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality rates following discharge.
  
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• Promising therapy for fatal genetic diseases in children nears human trials

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Massachusetts Medical School) Researchers at University of Massachusetts Medical School and Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine are nearing human clinical trials on a genetic therapy for two rare neurological diseases that are fatal to children.
  
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• One minute of running per day associated with better bone health in women

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Exeter) A single minute of exercise each day is linked to better bone health in women, new research shows.
  
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• Obese and overweight less likely to consider next meal when making portion size decisions

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior) University of Bristol researchers have found that people with obesity tend to ignore how long it will be until the next meal when choosing how much to eat. In a study designed see if people consider the time interval between two meals when selecting portion sizes, the researchers found that lean people generally do
  
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• Novogene will use Pacific Biosciences SMRT technology to build novo-disease SV genomes database

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Novogene Corporation) Novogene announced today it plans to use Pacific Biosciences SMRT® technology to build a comprehensive Chinese genome database, Novo-Disease SV Genomes. The database will consist of long-read sequencing data of 1000 Chinese genomes from a variety of disease types. As the first ever database of long-read human whole genome sequencing information, Novo-Disease SV Genomes will be a breakthrough step in the understanding of the human genome and in the field of precision me
  
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• New gel coatings may lead to better catheters and condoms

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Catheters, intravenous lines, and other types of surgical tubing are a medical necessity for managing a wide range of diseases. But a patient's experience with such devices is rarely a comfortable one. MIT engineers have designed a gel-like material that can be coated onto standard plastic or rubber devices, providing a softer, more slippery exterior that can significantly ease a patient's discomfort. The coating can even be tailored to monitor and treat s
  
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• New findings suggest a genetic influence on aging into the 90s but not beyond

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Oregon State University) Variants of a gene thought to be linked to longevity appear to influence aging into the 90s, but do not appear to affect exceptional longevity, or aging over 100, a new study has found.
  
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• New combination of anti-obesity drugs may have beneficial effects

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior) Research conducted in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed that a unique combination of hormone-based drugs can produce enhanced weight loss in laboratory tests with obese animals. The research is to be presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior.
  
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• New bacterial defense mechanism of the CRISPR-Cas system uncovered

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Zurich) Researchers led by Martin Jinek of the University of Zurich have found an unprecedented defense mechanism by which bacteria defend themselves against invading viruses. When the bacterial immune system gets overwhelmed, the CRISPR-Cas system produces a chemical signal that activates a second enzyme which helps in degrading the invaders' genetic material. This process is very similar to an antiviral mechanism of the human innate immune system.
  
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• National Academies of Sciences and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fund $10 million for Gulf research

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Louisiana State University) LSU researchers lead two of the four projects awarded funding today from the National Academies of Sciences' Gulf Research Program and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. All four projects aim to enhance the science and practice of resilience in coastal communities located in the Gulf of Mexico region.
  
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• NASA looks at compact Tropical Storm Don in infrared light

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite passed over newly formed Tropical Storm Don gathering temperature data from the compact storm's clouds.
  
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• MRI device could bridge neuro-technologies for medical diagnostics, increase safety

  18-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Purdue University) A technology being developed at Purdue University could provide an affordable, smart, self-learning device that, when placed into existing MRI machines could allow medical professionals to monitor patients more effectively and safely, by performing concurrent medical imaging and recording for diagnostic purposes.
  
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